New Rice coach Mike Bloomgren excited about students and football
Rice named former Stanford University offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren its new head football coach Dec. 6. Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard is quoted in the Houston Chronicle article.Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared on the front of the Sports section in the Dec. 7 print edition with a different headline, “The right fit: A head coach for the first time, Mike Bloomgren takes concept of student-athlete seriously.”)http://bit.ly/2ABYL47Rice hires Stanford assistant Bloomgren as head coachWashington Post (This Associated Press article appeared in more than 40 media outlets.)http://wapo.st/2k7UhYVStanford OC Mike Bloomgren tapped as Rice’s new head coachNBC Sportshttp://bit.ly/2AClqNFNew Rice coach Mike Bloomgren wants the Owls to be the next StanfordHouston Presshttp://bit.ly/2BJfO1BKHOU-TV (Houston) http://bit.ly/2nCtHfO(Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)KPRC-TV (Houston)http://bit.ly/2nFFNEI(Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)KTRK-TV (Houston)http://bit.ly/2zYFCGg(Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)KRIV-TV (Houston)http://bit.ly/2ABn5TG(Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)KIAH-TV (Houston)http://bit.ly/2AF6Umo(Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)KTRH-AM (Houston)http://bit.ly/2BeJtDt(Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)KCBS-AM (San Francisco)http://bit.ly/2BJa5IW(Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

On Jerusalem, Trump delivers for supporters at home
Professor of History Douglas Brinkley is quoted in an article on President Donald Trump declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel and announcing plans to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv.Washington Post (This Associated Press article appeared in more than 200 media outlets.)http://wapo.st/2kvyT3WAnalysis: What Pres. Trump’s Jerusalem announcement means for the world
Joe Barnes, the Bonner Means Baker Fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, participated in a discussion on Trump’s announcement.Houston Public Mediahttp://bit.ly/2BdblIaCasa Blanca anuncia que Trump reconocerá a Jerusalén como la capital de Israel
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor of political science, fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, is quoted in articles on Trump’s announcement.Univision (An English translation is not available. A similar article appeared in TuNoticia Express.)http://bit.ly/2ADV8bETrump reconocerá Jerusalén como la collateral de Israel y sus socios árabes en Medio Oriente se alarmanNoticias de Hoy (An English translation is not available.)http://bit.ly/2AltzHc

Purified carbon nanotubes can help or hurt wheatgrass
The introduction of purified carbon nanotubes appears to have a beneficial effect on the early growth of wheatgrass, according to Rice scientists. But in the presence of contaminants, those same nanotubes could do great harm. Andrew Barron, the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.Futurity (Similar articles appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)http://bit.ly/2nFK0II

Researchers advance technique to detect ovarian cancer
Researchers at Rice and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have refined and, for the first time, run in vivo tests of a method that may allow nanotube-based probes to locate specific tumors in the body. Their ability to pinpoint tumors with submillimeter accuracy could eventually improve early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer.National Science Foundation (A similar article appeared in Clinical Laboratories International and EnvironmentGuru.)http://bit.ly/2AEViQh

Search for habitable planets boosted by rare heavy nitrogen isotope study
Nature whispers its stories in a faint molecular language, and Rice scientist Laurence Yeung and colleagues can finally tell one of those stories, thanks to a one-of-a-kind instrument that allowed them to hear what the atmosphere is saying with rare nitrogen molecules. Yeung, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, and colleagues at Rice, UCLA, Michigan State University and the University of New Mexico counted rare molecules in the atmosphere that contain only heavy isotopes of nitrogen and discovered a planetary-scale tug of war between life, the deep Earth and the upper atmosphere that is expressed in atmospheric nitrogen.International Business Times (A similar article appeared in more than 10 other media outlets.)http://bit.ly/2ADFoW7

The world’s toughest shoes? Scientists develop £150 footwear with a sole made of ‘miracle material’ graphene that lasts twice as long as normal trainers
An article on shoes with graphene soles mentions Rice research on the material.Daily Mailhttp://dailym.ai/2AE869s

Grace: Record-breaking Iowa astronaut Peggy Whitson reminds us to look up and never stop trying
Astronaut and Rice alumna Peggy Whitson ’86 is featured. She will be honored at the Celebrate Iowa Gala Dec. 8 in Des Moines.Omaha World-Heraldhttp://bit.ly/2j2NN0Y

HOUSTON/TEXAS

Where do we go from here? Houston-area leaders grapple with Harvey aftermath
Jim Blackburn, a professor in the practice of environmental law and the co-director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, was the keynote speaker at the Houston Chronicle’s “Greater Houston After Harvey” panel Dec. 6. Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and director of the SSPEED Center, participated in the forum. Both are pictured.Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, Laredo Morning Times and Houston News Info. The Chronicle posted video of Blackburn’s presentation on its Facebook page.)http://bit.ly/2ADPqsFhttp://bit.ly/2BJBVolhttp://bit.ly/2ADKIJfGreater Houston After Harvey event — Dec. 6, 2017 (slideshow)Houston Chroniclehttp://bit.ly/2joHORc

Interfaith Ministries announces $1 million gift for ‘Plaza of Respect’A “Plaza of Respect” and sculpture garden will honor the collaborative work of three Houston religious icons. The Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston announced a $1 million naming gift from Bashar and Brigitte Kalai, whose son Alex Kalai is a Wiess College sophomore.Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article appeared on the front page of the Dec. 7 print edition with a different headline, “The universal language of respect.”)http://bit.ly/2BTjxKOhttp://bit.ly/2j3epyS

UT-Austin graduate students walk out amid legislative battles
An article on University of Texas at Austin graduate students protesting a tax that would hit tuition waivers under a House bill passed last month mentions graduate students at Rice have written local lawmakers to express disagreement with the tax.Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and Laredo Morning Times, and it appeared in the Dec. 7 print edition of the Chronicle with a different headline, “Tax proposal draws protest.”)http://bit.ly/2AYfL51http://bit.ly/2Akn4ob

Lupe Valdez hopes to make the leap from Dallas County sheriff to governor
Mark Jones is quoted in articles on Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez making a run for Texas governor. Jones also is quoted in a story on Houston investor Andrew White, the son of the late Gov. Mark White, who will run against Valdez for the Democratic nomination, and an article on conservative leaders’ efforts to have GOP House candidates vote as a bloc for Texas House speaker.Texas Monthlyhttp://bit.ly/2iDDSLGDemocrats get a front-runner for governor: Lupe Valdez Austin American-Statesman (Subscription is required.)https://atxne.ws/2B0A1TAKUT-AM (Austin, Texas)http://bit.ly/2B08WQE(Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)Texas: Lupe requerirá más que su apellido hispano para enfrentar a AbbottAl Día Dallas (An English translation is not available.)http://bit.ly/2k85FnTAndrew White will enter the race for governor Thursday morningHouston Public Mediahttp://bit.ly/2BQZ88VAs deadline approaches, Republican Caucus pledge short on signaturesTexas Monitorhttp://bit.ly/2AETAyl

Art calendar: A look at ‘Home’ and ‘Tensile Strength’
“Mickalene Thomas: Waiting on a Prime-Time Star” at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts is mentioned.Houston Chronicle (Subscription is required. This article also appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.)http://bit.ly/2ACCilghttp://bit.ly/2AE76C6

Requiem for an alt-weekly
Alumnus Michael Hardy ’06 authored an op-ed on the Houston Press, which announced in November it would cease print publication.Texas Observerhttp://bit.ly/2j3YFf5

BROADCAST

C-SPAN2
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., mentioned a study by Rice and Texas A&M University at Galveston that found Houston floodplain maps failed to predict roughly 75 percent of flood damage from five floods between 1999 and 2009 while he was speaking on the Senate floor.http://bit.ly/2nF7i19(Click the video button to watch the broadcast.)

KUT-AM (Austin, Texas)
Anthony Brandt, professor of composition and theory at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, and alumnus David Eagleman ’93, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, will discuss their book, “The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World.”http://bit.ly/2AAVl1y(Click the audio button to listen to the broadcast.)

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Rice lab gives structure to histone discovery
Researchers have uncovered a subtle mechanism that modifies histone proteins, the spindles around which DNA wraps in every cell, in a way that promotes the formation and spread of tumors. The new research by Rice, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and other institutions examines succinylation of histones in the nucleus of cells, a process believed to support cancer cells. Yizhi Jane Tao, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology, is quoted. Rice alumna Yusong Guo, a study co-author, is mentioned.Military Technologieshttp://bit.ly/2BJwGFb

Novel regulation of gene expression in brain tumors identified
An article on a study of how brain cancer tumors form and spread mentions Rice participated in the research.Military Technologies (This article also appeared in Newswise and Crossroads Today.)http://bit.ly/2Bd5Vgm

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Ababiy: Stop scholarship displacement at the University of Minnesota
An op-ed includes a quote given to the New York Times by Student Association President Justin Onwenu.Minnesota Dailyhttp://bit.ly/2k7I6eF

How public and private partnerships can empower resilient communities
Rives Taylor, lecturer of architecture, authored an op-ed on planning for and responding to disasters.American City and Countyhttp://bit.ly/2AZL5QM

ETBU to hold fall commencement Dec. 9
An article on East Texas Baptist University mentions that Ray Martinez worked at Rice.Marshall News Messengerhttp://bit.ly/2BT2W9G

SPORTS

Houston sports mascots through the years
Rice’s Sammy the Owl is featured in a slideshow.Houston Chroniclehttp://bit.ly/2j3bsi8

NEWS RELEASE

Rules for superconductivity mirrored in ‘excitonic insulator’
Rice physicists dedicated to creating the working components of a fault-tolerant quantum computer have succeeded in creating a previously unseen state of matter. The “topological excitonic insulator” was observed in tests at Rice by an international team from the United States and China. The researchers report their findings this week in the journal Nature Communications. Their device could potentially be used in a topological quantum computer, a type of quantum computer that stores information in quantum particles that are “braided” together like knots that are not easily broken.http://bit.ly/2BVjGgK

About Matt Wilson

Matt Wilson is a news analyst in Rice University's Office of Public Affairs.

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